Ever since the Montreal native transferred from Dawson College three years ago, she’s financed all her costs herself.  “I’m very proud to do so,” she says, noting she’s always wanted to be independent.  “Coming to Ottawa on my own allowed me to start ‘real life’ earlier than a lot of people.”

Chelsea Pascal balances a part-time job, philanthropic work, a field placement in a law firm, and a full-time course load

She works two nights each weekend tending the door for a firm that owns several downtown nightspots.  “It’s lucrative, you meet amazing people, and make incredible connections,” Chelsea remarks.  While weekend work cuts down on going out, she gets to socialize there anyway.  And the schedule doesn’t interfere with classes. 

But Chelsea also finds time to help others.  In September, she donned frilly pink underwear and paraded through downtown Ottawa as part of The Underwear Affair, a project aimed at raising awareness of cancers below the waist.  With three friends, she raised more than $1,500 for cancer research.  “People honked at us, cheered, or just looked at us as if we were crazy,” she recalls, adding that she wore a huge bow in her hair – “channeling my inner Lady Gaga.”

Cancer is an important cause for her, partly the result of joining a sorority, Tau Sigma Phi, during her first term at Carleton.  Breast cancer awareness is the sorority’s principal philanthropic cause, and as its social chair last year, Chelsea helped organize pub nights to raise money.   She’s proud of her “little sister” in the sorority, who recently organized an annual Pretty in Pink pub that raised over $2,000.

Chelsea has also planned the sorority’s formal and semi-formal events, learning along the way how to negotiate menus and prices, sign contracts, collect money, present awards to each of the organization’s members – and hone her time management skills.  “It encouraged me to get my assignments done before going out, because academics are my first priority.”

While planning the major events was a lot of stress – “people are counting on you to make their night memorable” – she enjoyed doing it.  To help relax, she goes skiing each week with roommates at Mont-Tremblant.

This year, she was one of 80 Criminology students to land a field placement.  She works every Wednesday in the office of Kimberley Pegg, Barristers, a criminal defence firm that also handles Children’s Aid cases.  “Before this, I was skeptical about criminal defence, but being there I realize you have to be a special person to see that everyone has the right to a fair chance.”

Chelsea plans to keep helping others after she graduates, too, as a family lawyer.  She suffered through her parents’ “messy” divorce when she was 14, and says she and her siblings got caught in the middle.  She hopes to attend law school in either Ottawa or Florida, where relatives live, and eventually help change how family law works.  “I want the emphasis to be on the well-being of the children, instead of finance, custody issues, or issues of pride,” she says.  “It’s hard work and emotionally draining, but I don’t see how family law can operate any other way.”